Notice of Public Hearing of Substitute House Bill 1298

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SHB 1298, titled AN ACT Relating to device registration, civil penalties, and service agent registration for the weights and measures program, has been scheduled for a public hearing by the House Committee on Appropriations.

Date and Time: 02/20/2019 3:30PM (Subject to change by the Legislature.)
Location: John L. O'Brien Building, House Hearing Rm A, Olympia, WA

The Office of Financial Management has identified this bill as requiring a ten-year projection of increased cost to the taxpayers or affected fee payers.

Ten-year projection:

Fiscal Year		Commercial device registration fee	Service agent registration fee	Total
2020		$ 732,840	$ 11,160	$ 744,000
2021		732,840	11,160	$ 744,000
2022		740,160	11,280	$ 751,440
2023		747,574	11,380	$ 758,954
2024		755,044	11,500	$ 766,544
2025		762,589	11,620	$ 774,209
2026		770,211	11,740	$ 781,951
2027		777,911	11,860	$ 789,771
2028		785,709	11,960	$ 797,669
2029		793,565	12,080	$ 805,645
Total:		$ 7,598,443	$ 115,740	$ 7,714,183

Substitute House Bill 1298 changes multiple RCWs administered by the WSDA to increase weights and measures fees and to increase civil penalties.

Section 3 amends RCW 19.94.175 by raising the annual registration fees charged for weighing and measuring devices as follows: (a) weighing devices: small scale: ten to sixteen dollars; intermediate: $40 to $60; large: $75 to $120 dollars; railroad scales: $800 to $1,200 (b) liquid fuel metering devices: motor fuel meters- twenty gallons or less per minute: $10 to $16, motor fuel meters twenty-one to one hundred-fifty gallons per minute: $32 to $50, over one hundred fifty gallons per minute: $50 to $75 (c) liquid petroleum gas meters: one inch diameter or smaller: $25 to $40, over one inch: $50 to $80 dollars (d) fabric meters: $10 to $15 (e) cordage meters: $10 to $15 (f) mass flow meters: $200 to $300 (g) taxi meters: $25 to $40. The assumption is that the number of licenses will increase by one percent annually while expenses will increase at a five percent annual rate.

Section 8 amends RCW 19.94.2582 to give the department the authority to give competency examinations for people seeking to register as service agents. The assumption is that the number of licenses will increase by one percent annually while expenses will increase at a five percent annual rate.

Section 10 amends RCW 19.94.325(3) by raising the maximum penalty for using a weighing or measuring device without a WSDA seal of approval from $500 to $1,000. The cash receipt impact of this change is indeterminate.

Section 15 amends RCW 19.94.490 by raising the maximum penalty for a person who hinders or obstructs a director or a city sealer in the performance of their duties, from $500 to $1,000. The cash receipt impact of this change is indeterminate.

Section 16 amends RCW 19.94.500 by raising the maximum penalty for a person who impersonates a director or city sealer by using a seal of approval without authorization or by using a counterfeit seal of approval, from $1,000 to $5,000. The cash receipt impact of this change is indeterminate.

Section 17 amends RCW 19.94.510 by raising the maximum penalty for a person who engages in “unlawful practices” as enumerated in this statute, from $1,000 to $5,000, per violation.

Section 17 also amends RCW 19.94.510 by raising the maximum penalty for a person who violates RCW 19.94.390 (misrepresentation of price) from $1,000 to $2,000. Section three is amended by raising the maximum penalty for a person who falsifies a weighing or measuring device or commits a forth infraction of the acts listed in section one or two of this section, from $5,000 to $10,000, per violation. The cash receipt impact of this change is indeterminate.

Section 19 amends RCW 19.94.517 by raising the maximum civil penalty for use of a weighing or measuring device found to be incorrect to the economic benefit of the owner of the device and to the economic detriment to the customer, as follows: small device – first violation, $50 to $200, second or subsequent violation within one year of first violation $150 to $500; medium device-first violation, $100 to $400, second or subsequent violation within one year of first violation, $300 to $1,000; large device-first violation, $200 to $500, second or subsequent violation within one year of first violation, $500 to $2,000. The cash receipt impact of this change is indeterminate.

The substitute bill was proposed by:

House Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources
(360) 786-7144



The original bill sponsors and contact information are:


House Committee on Appropriations members and contact information:

Representative Steve Bergquist
Democrat
(360) 786-7862
Steve.Bergquist@leg.wa.gov

Representative Michelle Caldier
Republican
(360) 786-7802
Michelle.Caldier@leg.wa.gov

Representative Bruce Chandler
Republican
(360) 786-7960
Bruce.Chandler@leg.wa.gov

Representative Eileen Cody
Democrat
(360) 786-7978
Eileen.Cody@leg.wa.gov

Representative Laurie Dolan
Democrat
(360) 786-7940
Laurie.Dolan@leg.wa.gov

Representative Mary Dye
Republican
(360) 786-7942
Mary.Dye@leg.wa.gov

Representative Joe Fitzgibbon
Democrat
(360) 786-7952
Joe.Fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov

Representative Drew Hansen
Democrat
(360) 786-7842
Drew.Hansen@leg.wa.gov

Representative Larry Hoff
Republican
(360) 786-7812
HOFF_LA@leg.wa.gov

Representative Zack Hudgins
Democrat
(360) 786-7956
Zack.Hudgins@leg.wa.gov

Representative Laurie Jinkins
Democrat
(360) 786-7930
Laurie.Jinkins@leg.wa.gov

Representative Vicki Kraft
Republican
(360) 786-7994
Vicki.Kraft@leg.wa.gov

Representative Drew MacEwen
Republican
(360) 786-7902
Drew.MacEwen@leg.wa.gov

Representative Nicole Macri
Democrat
(360) 786-7826
Nicole.Macri@leg.wa.gov

Representative Gina Mosbrucker
Republican
(360) 786-7856
Gina.Mosbrucker@leg.wa.gov

Representative Timm Ormsby
Democrat
(360) 786-7946
Timm.Ormsby@leg.wa.gov

Representative Eric Pettigrew
Democrat
(360) 786-7838
Eric.Pettigrew@leg.wa.gov

Representative Gerry Pollet
Democrat
(360) 786-7886
Gerry.Pollet@leg.wa.gov

Representative June Robinson
Democrat
(360) 786-7864
June.Robinson@leg.wa.gov

Representative Skyler Rude
Republican
(360) 786-7828
RUDE_SK@leg.wa.gov

Representative Cindy Ryu
Democrat
(360) 786-7880
Cindy.Ryu@leg.wa.gov

Representative Joe Schmick
Republican
(360) 786-7844
Joe.Schmick@leg.wa.gov

Representative Tana Senn
Democrat
(360) 786-7894
Tana.Senn@leg.wa.gov

Representative Larry Springer
Democrat
(360) 786-7822
Larry.Springer@leg.wa.gov

Representative Derek Stanford
Democrat
(360) 786-7928
Derek.Stanford@leg.wa.gov

Representative Mike Steele
Republican
(360) 786-7832
mike.steele@leg.wa.gov

Representative Drew Stokesbary
Republican
(360) 786-7846
Drew.Stokesbary@leg.wa.gov

Representative Pat Sullivan
Democrat
(360) 786-7858
Pat.Sullivan@leg.wa.gov

Representative Robert Sutherland
Republican
(360) 786-7967
SUTHERLA_RO@leg.wa.gov

Representative Gael Tarleton
Democrat
(360) 786-7860
Gael.Tarleton@leg.wa.gov

Representative Steve Tharinger
Democrat
(360) 786-7904
Steve.Tharinger@leg.wa.gov

Representative Brandon Vick
Republican
(360) 786-7850
Brandon.Vick@leg.wa.gov

Representative Mike Volz
Republican
(360) 786-7922
Mike.Volz@leg.wa.gov

Representative Alex Ybarra
Republican
(360) 786-7808
YBARRA_AL@leg.wa.gov



Legislative Bill Information Website: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/

Initiative 960 Website: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/tax/default.asp